Fiber optic devices need to be packaged to enable them to be used for their intended purpose. Packages generally include an inner support structure and an outer protective envelope. A fiber optic device can be generally secured to the inner support structure by positioning the fiber optic device within the structure, for example a quartz body, and bonding the fiber optical device to the support structure with an adhesive such as UV light-curable epoxy. The outer protective envelope, for example a metal tube, is then assembled surrounding the support structure and the bonded device. The package is thus intended to protect the device from environmental influences and damage.
The prior art packaging of fiber optic devices suffers from the fundamental problem that such packaging does not protect the physical integrity or the optical performance of the fiber optic device. Hence, prior art packaging never recognized that the optical characteristics of a fiber optic device need to be preserved to ensure the long term performance of a fiber optic device for its intended purpose.